Split emerges in accounts of James Gandolfini’s last hours

Some say he was on boozy bender, others maintain it was a quiet evening with his son

James Gandolfini as Tony Soprano. The actor died of a heart attack after eating a meal with his son while on holiday in Rome. He was 51.

Starkly different accounts have emerged of Sopranos star James Gandolfini’s last hours, with one New York paper reporting the hulking actor binged on a massive meal and several rounds of drinks before he collapsed from a fatal heart attack in Rome.

The New York Post, quoting a hotel source in the Italian capital, said Gandolfini washed down two portions of fried king prawns and a large helping of foie gras with four shots of rum, two pina coladas and two beers at dinner with his 13-year-old son, who later found him collapsed in his fourth-floor hotel room.

Another source told the tabloid that the Emmy Award winner was “known to blow lines and drink like an Irish sailor on weekend leave,” and that he did not appear serious about getting sober despite attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings in New York.

But family friend Michael Kobold told a Rome news conference that there was “nothing out of the ordinary” in the shocking death of the 51-year-old.

He said: “It was a heart attack. It was a natural cause. There was no foul play, no substance abuse. None of that.”

Meanwhile, officials at the Hotel Exedra angrily denied reports that the star had been on a bender before his cardiac arrest.

Gandolfini’s family “completely denies everything” about reports regarding his last meal at an outdoor table in the historic Trastevere neighbourhood, the New York Daily News said, quoting a hotel spokeswoman.

A manager at the Sabatini’s restaurant, where Gandolfini and his son had dined that night, told the News that the pair had enjoyed a low-key evening.

“They were very quiet,” said Roberto Alessandrelli. “They ate moderately. It was a hot night, so there was even less reason to eat a great deal.”

Gandolfini’s grieving sister arrived Friday to formally identify her brother, and the family hopes to bring his body back to the United States by next Wednesday for a funeral to follow by Saturday at the latest.

It took six men to carry the bare-chested actor, who weighed an estimated 260 pounds (120 kg), out of his hotel room, the Post said. Paramedics worked on him feverishly during the ride to Umberto I hospital, where doctors spent another 40 minutes trying unsuccessfully to revive him.

Despite reports of his alleged booze-and-drug addictions, friends, fans and castmates remembered the fictional mob boss as a down-to-earth Jersey boy who played down his fame.

“He was just a nice neighbourhood person who happened to be famous and talented,” said Sara Mattler, 32, a New York neighbour who shared her memories with the Post as she paid her respects at his apartment building in the city’s Tribeca district.

A family acquaintance from New Jersey said Christmas will never be the same without Gandolfini’s presence.

“Jimmy was just a regular, regular person,” said 73-year-old Bob Sottolano. “I met him 30 years ago. No matter how famous he got, he would come over for Christmas and we’d take a few pictures.

“They got to be another family to me.”

One of the “original Bada Bing” girls — dancer Diana LoMoro from the Satin Dolls strip club that featured in the hit HBO series — said she is crushed.

“I feel very fortunate I was able to share a set with James Gandolfini,” she said. “I was devastated when I heard (of his death). I was shocked by it. The Sopranos was never really over, and I now feel it’s over.

“No one wanted to believe it would end. They were waiting for a movie.

“But Tony Soprano is gone.”

Variety magazine said sales of Sopranos episodes had surged Friday on Amazon and iTunes as fans swarmed the HBO shop in Manhattan to stock up on show memorabilia.

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